1979 sf18
 

Well after glassing all the great posts up on this site finally found a 1979 SF18 and am ready to restore it - seems a well-balanced boat with a 223 lb 3 cyl Yamaha 90hp. It has original gelcoat and pretty solid cockpit floor and decks, very well cared for by previous owner. We don't get many old SeaCrafts up this way! Plan to run it for the spring (she's currently on Georgian Bay, Ontario) and get a feel this little classic.

Great find and a great boat as well! We have a '78 18' SF with a '92 Evinrude 120 hp as well and it is a great riding, well balanced ride. I had to play with the motor height, put on a 4 blade Apollo stern lifting prop and it made a huge difference. I think you'll be happy with that 90 on there, the weight is nice. Enjoy!
Rod

looks like a pretty clean ride

nice ride

Nice rig you have there. When you have a minute, would you post a picture of the splashwell with the motor tilted up? I have the one that came with my 18 and contemplating putting it back in. Thanks in advance!

Thanks - she runs great in the big steep chop of Georgian Bay.

Stats (before a tune up and cable adjustment):

Plane 14mph / 2400rpm
Cruise 28mph
WOT 36mph / 5200rpm

Dry decks

A little spray quartering up 3' chop at 20 mph in a 30 kt breeze otherwise very dry ride. She tilts nicely into the wind like a good SeaCraft.

I'm used to a bit more engine weight in the stern going downwind!

Nice find!!! I have a 1975 with a similar motor (90 Tohatsu). I am still surprised at how well a 90 will push these boats. I love the Yamaha 90. My first boat had one and it just wouldn't quit. Congrats.

Sage advice there.

Minimum plane speed is perhaps the holy grail of performance parameters.

The horsepower wars have warped our thinking.

Here's the splashwell

Thanks for posting. My original bulkhead protrudes farther forward than yours. If I decide to reinstall mine, it will be modified to look similar to yours so it takes up less space in the cockpit. Thanks again.

That splashwell is AWSOME!!!! I want one! What a score.

You are going to love that boat. Its the biggest little boat out there.

I've been trying to tell folks for years how much more efficient the SeaCraft VDH is compared to modern hulls!

I think Sandy's right, but it's not just the horsepower wars that have warped our thinking . . . the wide beam required on modern boats to support the heavy new motors screws up the ride, so the designers then increase deadrise to get the soft ride back, but that takes a lot more power to get it up on plane, etc., and a vicious circle begins! Fortunately for us SeaCraft addicts, Carl Moesly figured all that over half a century ago! On an 18-20' SeaCraft hull, light is right, and "more power" is the enemy of good enough!

Thanks for the comments!

The 1988 Yamaha 90hp is 270 lbs.

Lightest modern replacement would be an Etec 90 (320lbs), a 1990s Evinrude 110-140 hp (306-315 lbs), or a 2000's Tohatsu 90. I think the old Merc 100 was 265 lbs also.

I heard that the Etec is being phased out in favor of G2 4-stroke technology. Too bad for SF owners!

Beware of what you hear on the internet!

Although the G2 E-TEC has better performance and lower emissions than 4-strokes due to a total clean sheet redesign, it's actually still 2-stroke technology! (with provisions in the design for a catalyst if the EPA ever mandates that like they have for I/O's!:eek:) Although weight increased 41 lbs between the 300 hp G1 and G2 versions, the G2 weight also includes at least 25 lbs for a 2 gallon oil tank mounted on motor, hydraulic power steering, plus electronic shift & throttle that's not included on the G1 version, and they're still lighter than competing 4-strokes. They are supposed to reveal a G2 version of the smaller 2.6L 135/150/175/200 V-6 motors in the next couple weeks, so will be interesting to see what happens to weight on them!

The 390/405 lb (20/25") 115 hp V-4 is now the least weight-competitive G1 model, so there was speculation that it would be the next one to get the G2 upgrade, but evidently volume on the small V-6 is so much higher that the decision was a no-brainer from an ROI standpoint. I'm sure Terry England will be glad to hear that there are no plans to phase out the very competitive 90 hp E-TEC!

I heard that the Etec is being phased out in favor of G2 4-stroke technology.....

I heard they were having lots of trouble with new G-2, 4 stroke cam chain adjustment, oil cooler base corrosion, valve seats and "Dipsticks" - I read it on the Internet!

Then it must be true.:p